Churchill Downs: Take Charge Indy ready for the Clark

Florida Derby winner Take Charge Indy has only started once since the Kentucky Derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Take Charge Indy breezed three furlongs Saturday in 35.60 seconds over a fast main track at Churchill Downs with regular rider Calvin Borel aboard, in the colt’s first workout since he finished third in his comeback race, the Oct. 27 Fayette Stakes.

Take Charge Indy and Borel won the Florida Derby before finishing 19th in the May 5 Kentucky Derby, from which the colt exited with an ankle injury. He led most of the way before finishing third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, in the Fayette at Keeneland.

Take Charge Indy is one of the 30 nominees to the upcoming Churchill fall showcase, the Grade 1, $400,000 Clark Handicap on Nov. 23.

Other known Clark prospects are Neck ‘n Neck, winner of the opening-day Ack Ack Handicap for trainer Ian Wilkes, and Mission Impazible, the 2011 Clark runner-up to Wise Dan; possibly Shackleford, although the Nov. 24 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct is another option; Cease, trained by Al Stall Jr., Bourbon Courage, winner of the Super Derby; and perhaps two of the Mark Casse-trained trio of Pool Play, Delegation, and Stealcase.

Chuck and Maribeth Sandford, the Chicago-based couple who own Take Charge Indy, were on hand for the Saturday work, as was Elliott Walden, president of WinStar Farm. Take Charge Indy will stand at stud at WinStar when his racing career is through, although that might not be until 2014, since trainer Pat Byrne has said he is targeting the Donn Handicap and Dubai World Cup early next year.

“He’s only had eight races, so he’s a lightly raced horse,” said Chuck Sandford. “No wear and tear. He’s the best Patrick has ever had him, so we have no excuses. We’re ready to run.”

Two stakes scheduled for upcoming night card

A pair of 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds is on tap for the evening program to be run this coming Saturday. Those races are the Grade 2, $175,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes for fillies and the Grade 3, $100,000 Commonwealth Turf for colts and geldings. Entries will be taken Wednesday.

Post time for the first and only Downs After Dark card is 4:30 p.m. Eastern. The theme is “The Golden Era,” with patrons encouraged to wear clothing from the 1920’s.

Aqua Racer:
100 Point for BRIS awarded at 1:48 flat. Track variant therefore was 97%. (Multiply .97 times feet-per-second for each segment of the race to get an adjusted speed.)
For each segment of the race, these are his estimated beginning / ending speeds
(The first is the average feet per second for the initial half-mile. The third number is the difference in FPS between the starting and ending estimated apeed.)
53.48 53.65 0.17
53.65 53.99 0.34
53.99 50.15 -3.84
50.15 54.23 4.08
What I don't like is the increase in speed in the last furlong. He was definitely being used to at least hit the board.
The amount of work (based on a 44 FPS base line) gives him a rating of 94.3 through the first 6 furlongs. Past that point, he was still racing within 95% of his maximum speed for another 746 feet. Add the amount of work from that component and he gets a total of 110.0. After that, he took a breather and then finished fast. I hope that didn't take anything out of him.

Charles Sakach

More than 1 year ago

This race is shaping up for a good one to at least watch. Most certainly, I would not express an opinion regarding one entrant over another until I have all of the past performances in front of me.
Horses speed up, slow down, and speed up again during the course of the race. Those that fluctuate in such manner rarely show up in the winner's circle in their next start, unless they have a considerable freshening combined with an active workout regimen; they also need to show that they are capable of coming back from a layoff to exhibit this type of winning performance.
(This is what Bodemeister did in the Arkansas Derby. I'll Have Another went evenly in the Santa Anita. Actually, Went the Day Well had higher pace calculations and was mauled coming out of the gate. He was all out in the late stages and as a result, he has never been able to recover.)
Going back to the Clark:
Based on what one reader has provided me in terms of the fractions from the Fayette Stakes, TCI had run a rather even, spirited pace. It is "natural" to slow down in the later stages of the race when such race is a prep. Since TCI was coming back from a layoff, chances are good that "he needed one". In addition, a high % of horses come back and win after leading at to the stretch call (provided that this is the first occurrence in the current form cycle).
I would not bet against TCI in the Clark. Based on what he's facing, he might actually be a good bet. All signs say that he will be a major factor.

avlamal

More than 1 year ago

takecharge indy quits in this race-stamina problem
hes short for this
id cut him back to a mile
what r they thinking
will i be right again

Thomas Cook

More than 1 year ago

Neck n Neck. Two wins in a row. Loves Churchill Downs.

Geral John Pinault

More than 1 year ago

Mission Impazible will run down Take Charge Indy in the stretch! TCI may be a top horse in 2013 but he's not there yet in my book folks!!!

Randy Atkins

More than 1 year ago

Mission Impazible couldn't run me down in the stretch..how's he gonna run down TCI, he has the worst late energy numbers of any grade 1 or grade 2 horses that I match him up against with my pace program

Charles Sakach

More than 1 year ago

Actually, prior to Take Charge Indy's Florida Derby, his 8.5 furlong "prep" race on 1/29/12 showed some interesting characteristics. For the initial 6 furlongs, TCI ran a fast pace and hardly wavered in speed among each segment. Even though he fell off in the last 2.5 furlongs, this race was only to used by his connections as a tool to assess his abilities and condition him for the Florida Derby.
However, the subsequent victory in the Florida Derby showed some distortion as compared to the "even" way that he went against El Padrino in this prep.
Without having the past performances from the Fayette, I would guess that TCI ran the same way he did in his prep prior to the Florida Derby. If so, then he will be a major factor in the Clark.

What was the final Beyer or BRIS speed figure...either one, but let me know which.
That's how I calculate the variant. I reverse-engineer the final time where a 100 point score would be awarded and compare to a standard 2-turn parallel time chart.
From a glance, I would say he is the horse to beat.

aqua racer

More than 1 year ago

99 Beyer
Bris: 95, 98 E1, 110

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

How is this race a Grade I being so close after the B.C. Classic. This is another Giant Oak story please!!

Albert

More than 1 year ago

Good question...I plan to start by checking out Bourbon Courage, who has some pretty good numbers. Might be able to beat a suspect field.